The loan rate for new cars has dropped to a minimum in a year and a half

In April 2025, the weighted average interest rate on loans for new cars dropped to 17% per annum, which turned out to be the lowest since October 2023. This was reported by Kommersant on May 15, citing data from the United Credit Bureau (OKB).

The rate reduction has been taking place for the fifth month in a row, during which time the indicator has decreased by 4.4 percentage points (pp). In the segment of used cars, the average rate remains high and exceeds 28% per annum by the end of April. In three months, its decrease was recorded by only 1.2 percentage points.

As Yegor Lopatin, Director of the Financial Institutions Ratings Group at the NKR Agency, explained, the main reasons for the rate cut were government support and preferential programs for Chinese automakers. In the segment of used cars, the rates and the full cost of the loan are determined by the key rate and the expectations of banks regarding its further dynamics, he noted.

Swing with wheels: car sales fell by another quarter in April

The share of new car brands in the market is growing in Russia

On May 13, Sergey Tselikov, director of the Autostat analytical agency, said that sales of new passenger cars by the end of 2025 could decrease by 20% compared to the previous year and reach 1.25 million cars.

Prior to that, on May 7, it became known that by the end of April, 102.1 thousand new passenger cars were sold in Russia, which is 25.5% less than in the same month last year. Haval Jolion became the Russian market leader in the crossover and SUV segment in April.